Thursday, April 23

Bargain Art Books

Today’s Image

Leonardo Da Vinci's Mona Lisa

appears in many art books

I recently bought a couple of books about acrylic painting online at Amazon.com. Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last decade, you know that’s the online retailer for almost everything for sale in the world. This is not an endorsement for Amazon at all, just an acknowledgement that their site has a good inventory of art books for sale.

If you’ve bought art or other kinds of books on Amazon (or any other large online book or retail site), you may have noticed that, in addition to the book you want listed as being “on Amazon” itself, there are usually many more of the same book also available from independent booksellers.

What that means is that even though you’re purchasing the book online through Amazon.com, the book may be coming from an independent bookseller somewhere else rather than from one of Amazon’s distribution centers.

It doesn’t really matter, and that’s not what today’s blog is about anyway.

Today’s blog is about the enjoyment I receive, and I’m guessing you do, too, if you’re an art book lover, from looking through the printed catalog many booksellers send you after buying one of their books.

I am not endorsing this particular bookseller, or any other bookseller, but I received an old-fashioned printed catalog in the U.S. mail from Edward Hamilton Bookseller. The catalog is headlined Bargain Books in at least 72-point type on its cover.

This catalog includes not only art books, but every other kind of book you can think of. All kinds of books from Music Recordings to Television and Radio to Philosophy and African Americans are listed.

All kinds of art books are listed, most accompanied by a postage-size photo of the cover. What I like best is reading the titles and the brief blurb about the book’s content and then deciding if it’s one I want to buy. I counted 193 in all. The Art Books section runs from p. 59 to p. 66, so there's quite a selection.

Here’s one example: “Box Top Air Power: The Aviation Art of Model Airplane Boxes by Thomas Graham; showcases some of the most recognized and dynamic examples of aviation art ever produced having appeared on model airplane kit boxes; illus in color, 175 pages, 8 ½ x 11, paperbound, USD$21.95

And another: “1001 Paintings You Must See Before You Die; ed. By Stephen Farthing presents an essential, visually arresting reference for all art lovers; takes an incisive look at the world’s best paintings from ancient Egyptian wall paintings to contemporary Western canvases; illus in color, 960 pages, Universe, USD$23.95.

There are many, many more, and they range in price from USD$3.95 (Greek Art) to USD$289.95 (Later Chinese Painting and Calligraphy 1800-1950).

This type of catalog is also available online at many booksellers’ sites. However, there’s something special about having the printed catalog in hand and being able to flip among the pages comparing the books that is most satisfying—even though I’ll still buy the book online.

2 comments:

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